What is the difference between anthropocentrism and ecocentrism?. Sociology

Anthropocentrism and ecocentrism are contrasting opinions on how the natural world should view human beings. Anthropocentrism is a belief that the needs and desires of humans should be at the centre of how society constructed and how the world is organised and used, implying that human beings are superior to other aspects of the world. It amounts to a principled belief in speciesism. Anthropocentrism is rooted in monotheistic religions such as Christianity which maintain that God created the world mainly for man's benefit giving him dominion over every living thing. This position of environmental issues in terms of human centred reforms rather than any profound change in relationships between humans and the Earth.

Ecocentrists, on the other hand, dismiss this position seeing it as false consciousness. For them, humankind is part of nature, with no special status above that of all separate living, which emphasises that humans are part of the same living organism as all other forms of life. Ecocentrism is supported by deep ecologists who believe that nature should be protected and respected because of the intrinsic value it possesses and not merely so that it may continue to serve the needs of human beings.